Country’s first domestic violence tax charging households $30 per year

ACT government announces domestic violence tax

The ACT government has announced the country’s first domestic violence tax, and will begin charging households $30 per year.

The levy has been established to fund a $21.4 million reform package, the Safer Families program, The Australian reports.

The fund will be the territory’s largest ever investment in the issue, ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said.

“Family violence does not discriminate; it is a national issue that touches the lives of Australians everywhere,” Mr Barr said.

“In Canberra we’ve seen our share of tragedy. All of us need to stand up and say enough is enough. There is no place for family violence in our community.”

Mr Barr said the state government chose to levy the funds from residents, as opposed to using revenue, so that there was always a “locked-in, legislated, sustainable revenue source” for the initiative.

The Safer Families program comes with new laws to alter the definition of family violence to include emotional, economic and psychological abuse.

It will also include improved legal protection for domestic abuse victims.

In April, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he was considering a similar levy to help fund 227 recommendations made to the state by a royal commission probe into domestic violence.